I'm puzzled by the timing too and while SnR owes us no explanation, it would nevertheless provide some insight as to what is going on. Following the THASP Twitter feed, it is evident that he appeared increasingly frustrated about the state of tennis.

The removal of the 'Curious Case...' article was another surprise. If I could dedicate the time, I would happily keep this on in some format. Hence why I respect SnR for keeping this going for as long as he has.

I agree with the need to move on. As has been demonstrated over the last couple of days, this site has been outed as a location for Federers obsessive to justify their man losing. It has aalso become apparent that the "new Federer" who after a 6 month layoff has returned stronger than ever, romping through 5 sets matches like a man 10 years younger, is currently top amongst the suspects.

Nadal (almost certainly), Federer and the Williams sisters all reaching the final means no one with an iota of common sense can take this seriously.

I'm watching Nadal Dimitrov now..It was hilarious listening to the commentators, its John Mcenroe and someone else on Eurosport UK and the other guy literally saiod "It's amazing how both Nadal and Federer have both had such long injury lay offs and have come back fresher than ever".... I paused, laughed, then hit play and waited for McEnroe's typical farcical response.. he responded.. "Yea these guys are such fighters".. or something along those lines.. then started ranting on about how their desire is so great even after both have already won so much in the game.. i couldn't stop laughing buit fair play to the other guy for putting it out there.. something isnt right. On the other hand, Dimitrov who dropped off remarkabl;y, like the Spanish players when the biological passport was iontroduced is back playing like he was 2 years ago again. It seems like 2017 nn both the men and womens side of the draw is dope free.. I predict retirements for at least 2 of the 4 male and female finalists this year is Nadal makes final.

To fight doping is particularly important as long as there is a belief that some are playing it clean and being cheated upon by others. For a few years, to many of us Federer looked genuinely clean while Nadal was just obviously unnatural. But that belief, which might have been naive to start with, has faded away since 2013. There was once the admiration for the beauty of tennis played by the Swiss, who got routinely destroyed by the brute physical force of a raging bull. Years have passed, and there is now the overall feeling that everybody in the top is on something, the what depends only on their financial abilities. So the unfairness is not between clean against doper, but between richer and poorer dopers. They are all cheaters. The broad public could not care less. Sad. Time to move on and recommend to our kids and grandkids not to go pro in any sport.

Despite being a Federer fan myself, I am almost certain there is something going on with him now.

Another real tell-tale is his relationship with Nadal. Picture the scene - you are an incredibly gifted tennis player, possibly the best ever, when some steroid-addled dope fiend comes along almost always beats you in GS finals.

What do you do? Exclaim anger? Frustration? Try somehow to encourage the breaking of Omerta?

No. You compliment him and happily tell everyone in your autobiographies/biographies what a great man that person is. Of course.

That was something that I could never reconcile in my own head. And since 2013, going toe-to-toe with players that are almost certainly doing something illicit just reinforces the doubt.

Federer's reaction to Nadal on a personal level tells us that either the sport is completely clean or completely riddled. Safe to say, I know which scenario I believe to be true.

And please, in case anyone else feels like reminding me how they are both Nike stablemates/figureheads for tennis and hence why Federer keeps the peace - don't. If I hear that coping excuse one more time I will tear off my eyelids, scrunch them up and use them as earplugs.

The only "outing" that has occurred here is of so-called objective commentators revealing their animosity towards Federer because of their own bias towards their favourite player. Anyone who thinks Federer has become the chief doping suspect over Nadal, Williams, Djokovic, Ferrer and Murray (and others) knows nothing of the game and how doping works and they reveal only their prejudices. Federer may be a doper; the others, however, trump him in every possible doping category. To deny that is to "out" yourself and your ignorance of the subject. The blog comments have shown plenty of that this week, as in the thread above.

Agreed. In some ways, this blog once open to comments was always going to attract fans of certain players blind to the suspicions of their own favourites. One Murray fan in particular here never fails to make laugh in vehement protestations defending him and equally vehement protestations implicating others.

Maintaining impartiality is key, but almost impossible. Anyone I tried to used this blog to convince them of the case against tennis always paused to consider the well-presented evidence, articles and author posts, but would look at the comments arguing who/who isn't and find a convenient excuse to dismiss the site.

While I accept you have a point, I would ask what could Federer gain by indicating that he has suspicions about Nadal (if he has)? The fans would come down on him and he would simply be seen as a sour loser making unproven slurs against another great - and possibly better - player. The public controversy at even hinting at such a view could have an enormous and damaging impact on the sport. He would be aware of that. Secondly, if he really believes Nadal is a doper it is doubtful he could stomach going on court against someone he believes is a cheat. If he thought as many of us do here he would probably give the game away. While being concerned about doping in regard to his public comments, Roger may also be naive about doping (if he doesn't dope himself) and he may trust those players who haven't failed doping tests (that we know of) to be clean. He may even personally like Nadal. So there are plenty of reasons why Roger may indicate his admiration for Nadal and his achievements. However, if Roger is also doping then his support for Nadal would be profoundly cynical - as you suspect it is. Lastly, if Roger is doping I am of the view he is doing a very poor job of it: he could gain much more power, speed and stamina than he has - he is well behind the chief suspects in that regard, and is also - despite what some maintain here - well behind the athlete he was in his mid-twenties. He is an exceptional athlete for a 35-year-old - but not for a younger man. Just look at Dimitrov currently. Roger is still in contention because of his racquet skills and because he is currently injury-free, and not because he has acquired freakish physical talents like some of his fellow-competitors.

@Richard, lets ignore the trolls for a moment. If Federer dopes as well, why should it matter if he does it badly or just a little? If he was clean and facing doping beasts, he should have retired in protest, and not have joined them.

@Umpire, Federer as a person is quite unique, for a multimillionaire world star he is genuinely down to earth, accessible and sociable. If you meet him on the streets in Switzerland, he handles himself like if he was the most ordinary humble person. He is extremely relaxed and zen. I have no idea how he dealt with his disappointments, but he is just not bitter at all. Quite the happiest person on earth if you ask me. It does not mean that he is in any way fond of Nadal, he just does not seem to have room for negative feelings. His love for tennis and motivation to keep training and playing are unseen. No need for money, no chase for records could explain it. I guess he just doesn't allow himself to be negative about Nadal. Sadly, I believe that he is also zen and relaxed about using PEDs as everybody else.

Manas, of course it doesn't matter if Roger dopes a lot or a little; he would still be a doper. However, I am not yet persuaded that his recent successes are in themselves clear indications of doping; having watched his career since 2001 and having informed myself on the topic of doping over several years I don't as yet see any conclusive evidence that he has doped or is a doper; I am open to further evidence but the case against him is slim, to my perception. Further, if he had decided to use ped's I think I would have observed a rather different player, who would have shown the kind of extraordinary physical qualities I am seeing other players are increasingly demonstrating. If he so admires Nadal and is also determined to dope to succeed, why would he allow Nadal that enormous physical advantage over him when he could conceivably close that gap - as we have seen Djokovic (and Murray) do?

@ Richard - no own goal at all. You have proved my point. All players other than Federer are doping, which is ridiculous. You defend Federer and are completely blind to what is happening in front of your very eyes. Excuses, excuses, excuses. It's rather pathetic. Carry on being blinkered. I have no more ibterest in your opinion than you have in mine.

Why do you keep insisting on that erroneous argument? Federer has played for the first time 5 setters on a Slam in a long time and he looked fresh while doing it. How isnt that suspicious? The guy is coming from a break and his game is on point.

We are talking about a player that in the lasts years has had a hard time winning 5 setters and maintaining a consistent level throught two weeks.

That can be helped. This idea that doping only affects the physical and defensive play of tennis makes no sense.

Fair points likewise but despite us agreeing on much, I think we are firmly in different camps on Fed.

Federer, as you rightly state, would destroy his reputation by attacking another player; lest of all his nemesis. Many argue that is sole reason. However, no matter how genial any top tennis player appears, competitively, they are all driven by success, or glory, or being the best - or all three. If someone is cheating to take that glory from you, perhaps you are trapped and cannot speak out; but how could you possibly 'like' that person in any capacity? Look at the needle between Chris Froome and Wiggins in Road Cycling - for me, that smacks of one rider (Froome) believing that the other is benefiting from an unfair advantage (Wiggins).

I simply cannot see any possibility of Federer, or any top player, being naive on doping. He must have a greater insight than we do as fans and followers of this blog. He will train hard and know the limits of endurance and when something just 'isn't right'.

Federer could of course be addressing his stamina, rather than power. I don't know. Plus, those increased tests he had at a time when players indicated were suspicious of EPO just add to the case.

No-one would be happier than me to be proven wrong. I still believe Fed is the most talented player ever to pick up a racquet - unfortunately I can't believe at this point that he is the only clean champion among a crowd of cheats. Hence my supposition that either they are all at it, or they are all clean.

As an aside, I've never understood this argument that merely playing a few 'five setters' constitutes something suspicious. Get back to me when a baseliner runs around continuously, contesting 5 gruelling sets in 5 hours, then does it all again two days later, fully recovered.

I would expect any top level tennis player to be fully capable of playing more than one five-setter in a tournament. Suspicion only arises when those five-setters are physical outliers.

I can showcase to you numerous time where Federer played a 5 setter and his level dropped down in the next one or two games, eventually exiting the tournament. He was never about grinding, his 5 set record isnt great.

That has been the pattern with Federer in the last 3 to 4 years. He shows some flashes of brilliance, has a hard game and crashes.

That could have been the case this year. Has a wonderful game vs Berdych, struggles vs Nishikori and crashes vs Wawrinka. That didnt happen. Why? Are we gonna really believe he is getting better at 35 years old?

Are we gonna also fool ourselves that Federer, that plays one of lowest percentage style of tennis, suddenly is hitting his backhand better than ever because he took a break? Or because he is talented?

Come on. I have watched him played for long enough to know exactly when he peaks and fades. This AO is an outlier in that regard.

"If I hear that coping excuse one more time I will tear off my eyelids, scrunch them up and use them as earplugs."

This made me LOL and at the risk of having you do this and spend the rest of your life without eyelids, I have to say it's not totally unreasonable to think Federer praises Nadal because of their Nike connection. But, TBH even though I have always thought Fed was one of the good guys, his constant praise of Nadal has dumbfounded me. Clearly he can't come right out and accuse him of doping but at the very least he could just keep his mouth shut. If I was clean and I knew (and maybe he just doesn't know) that my biggest rival, the guy who has deprived me of many slam titles (including a couple of CYGS) is doping, no way would I say what a great and humble guy he is. I would be so damn bitter. But maybe Federer is a little bitter but his love of the game keeps him from tarnishing it's name. Although he has never really hidden his dislike of Djokovic. But then again, maybe it is all a personality thing. And as Ive said here before, there is no way Federer or any player with half a brain would come out and accuse a fellow player of doping. That is a big no-no, professional suicide, so don't ever expect that to happen, especially with regards to his biggest rival who owns their H2H. That would seriously come across as sour grapes and he would be vilified for it.

Cynic, if you have no interest in my opinion then why do you keep responding to my comments? Again and again. You find any defense of Federer unbearable - and even when it isn't a defense, such is your sheer animus towards the man.

A final reply before I completely ignore you. If you go back into my posting history you will find that whilst I freely admit I can't stand him, I have always thought he was clean, (or cleanish given I have reservations about them all including Murray). I am on record as stating that Wimbledon/Olympics 2012, both finals featuring the same two men was probably clean.However this new rejuvenated Federer stinks to high heaven. My opinion. It requires zero justification to you.

I am a huge Federer fan and believed that he was one of the sports top clean players, but I am not 100% sure on that now. I mean, I still wonder because it wasn't that long ago that he was the only top player coming out and admitting that you would have to be naive to believe that there is no doping in tennis, and I do think that early on in his rivalry with Nadal, he had said something that seemed like he was suspicious of Nadal's God-like strength and stamina. However, now, I have to say that he has come back with more stamina than he had even during his increasingly good play prior to hurting his knee. So...I hate it, but I have to admit that I think he finally said to himself, I am going to do this. I want to win, and I can never do that now if I don't cheat like everyone else.

Kind of like his medical time out during his Wawrinka match. He pretty much came out and said what I think is true of his doping stance now - that he took one because Stan did (IMO making it clear he believed Stan wasn't truly needing the timeout which I agree with) and then said, he doesn't want to have to do this again - the choice of words was clear - He WILL do it again if anyone else does just to make it even.

I think that is his exact feeling on doping at this point. And it is so very sad, IMO.

Can anyone tell me what will happen to this blog now SnR has finished? Will it continue to exist, but not be updated? Will it be open for comments or other people to add things of interest? I understand totally why he has given up - he intended to do so a few years back. Or will it just disappear one day? Anyone know?

For what it is worth, the Nadal vs. Dimitrov match encapsulates, for me, what is wrong with tennis. Forget the doping suspicions for a moment - here we have have talent and skill unable to compete with defensive brute thuggery and endless stamina from the baseline.

I wish Stan had beaten Federer. You can always rely on him to break the will of the baseliner during a GS final.

Nine years later, not much has changed. Ludicrous. Unfortunately I think the chances of Venus winning are even less than Federer winning. Betting men and women, put money on a Serenade/Rafa double. It won't pay much but you can't lose.

You'd expect the winner of this semi-final to be severely handicapped against Federer, who had a shorter match, an extra day off and a decent sleep.But I remember Federer-Nadal in 2009 after Nadals clash against Verdasco... It would be nice to see it go to 18-16 in the decider after which Nadal beats Federer in 5 sets. Maybe, just maybe, some people would find that peculiar.

I wish Stan had beaten Federer because he is the only one (other than Djokovic) who can be relied on to beat the Spanish beast. Federer will be annihilated. Even though Nadal will have played a much more physical and longer semi with less rest before the final.

How can anyone with a straight face reconcile the player who, for most of 2015-2016, looked finished, washed-up, defeated - with the dominant figure and AO 2017 champion elect that we see today?

The only other true lazarus-tier GS victory in 'relatively' recent history, in my opinion, was when Ivanisevic won Wimbledon 2001. He benefited from tremendous fortune in that run, and never looked 'dominant' from 4R onwards - by rights, he should have lost the SF but was saved by a pre-roof centre court.

But this is something else. This is someone completely different. And at 30. And after a career of gruelling, baseline running.

Journalists could not be made to care when, in one year, we had Sharapova and the TUE releases that, with a little digging (i.e. Arcus) highlighted major concerns with the timing and approval.

If these events didn't prompt tennis being pursued like Road Cycling or Athletics, then nothing will.

Journos, governing bodies, players - there is absolutely zero desire from any of them to take their lovely cash cow to the halal butchers. Tennis, seemingly unlike other sports, is too big to bring to its knees. It's over.

Dimitrov, to his credit, put up far better a fight than I could ever imagine. Sadly, that familiar sense of inevitability that precedes another humble GS victory is with us once again; hanging in the air like a hooker's cheap perfume.

Number 15 is on the way, boys. The timing of this blog's demise is uncannily perfect.

Spot on Ed, and what this teaches us - as SnR clearly found to his immense frustration - is that some sports are just too big to take down... far too much vested interest from all parties - sponsors too - to ever think justice could ever prevail.

No one will ever care until a top player drops dead on Rod Laver Arena or Arthur Ashe Stadium or CC at Wimbledon or Philippe Chatrier. But then again, they'll find some way to make it look like a totally fit, elite athlete died of natural causes. LOL.

Remember when Serena had her bizarre turn a few years back, at that doubles match acting like a malfunctioning zombie? My first thought was 'bad blood bag', after reading up in Tyler Hamilton's book on how the body reacts to a transfused collection of blood that is either not clean or affected due to adverse temperature prior to transfusion. My own supposition of course.

It did make wonder however, how far would such weird behaviour need to go until it was 100% obvious - death perhaps the only time. Toxicology reports would probably still be concealed somehow.

Yeah I always wondered about that little episode and why it just disappeared. The commentators appeared shocked during the match but then we didn't hear anything more about it. Total cover-up. Disgusting.

Agree. I don't know much about blogs or general internet creation, but I hope a new block/fb page/reddit thread etc will be able to be created as a focal point for discussion. Whatever happens, kudos to Sen and THASP.

With GOAT status up for grabs Sunday, there will be a major temptation to go a step too far for one or both of them. Would have to be pretty f^cking major slip-up though to rouse any suspicions in the mainstream press corps. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a 2012-esque PED fuelled final just to have another touchstone moment to point to in the story of steroids in tennis.

It won't happen. Federer will be lucky to get a set and that will be an early set, either 1 or 2 but then the bull will take over. There will probably be a couple of MTOs thrown in for good measure. It should be highly entertaining and completely predictable.

Players, provided they aren't outside the top 100, get increased immunity from suspicion proportional to their 'standing'.

Federer or Nadal could literally lie down next to the umpire, take a 30 minute time-out for a blood doping transfusion on the court - complete with drip-stand and gurney ensemble - clean up, and it would all be explained away in a few days.

... what hyperbole, my apologies. I'm getting carried away now.

They would need at least 40 minutes for a transfusion, what was I thinking.

@ Lopi, Yea he'll need to come out fast, if he goes a set up and gets a break in the 2nd, his serve may see him through. The courts are slower which gives him an advantage rally wise.. Today was a carbon copy of Sunday, Nadal will hit most of his shots to the backhand side and depending how Roger's backhand is, that will decide the match.. The fact that it's these 2 is enough for me.. Stil, I'll watch it.

I know a lot of people think Rafa will win on Sunday, I do too to some extent, but it ocould be one of those moments where Roger wins. We've seen it all before with Rafa coming back from long breaks, playing better and "fresher" than ever and winning slams. But we've never seen Federer do it.. it all seems to convenient that 3 of the most suspected dopers in male and feemale tennis are all in the final. Maybe Roger needs to win this to restore a little order.. maybe it won't look so bad for Rafa (and tennis) if Roger who is 5 years his senior and has taken such a long break comes back to defy the odds. He'll always be able to say "Roger did it too".. and he is 5 years older than me.. Either way the players are not stupid, Nadal knows he's a marked man.. public figures are already speaking out about positive dope tests that were subsequently covered up.... (that lawsuit is due for August 2017 by the way...he sued her.. just like LA used to do..) What a way to convince people that tennis is doping free by having 2 of the highest GS title holders battle it out in the first GS of the year with the one that wins demonstrating that it is possible despite age to come back and triumph against adversity. Especially as he is the most liked, most respected and most humble guy out there.. Something is clearly going on..as someone mentioned above, they've been too "matey" and too "friendly". Federer helped open up Nadal's academy and stated that he respects Rafa for his ability to come back... Now roger is doing the exact same and nobody questions it?? Lol.. I love how Rafa said afterwards with his interview with Jim Courier that "first of all he needs to recover" when asked about the match with Roger.... yea whatever Nadal...we all know you'll show up ready to run for 10 sets if need be witht eh strength of a raging bull...or is it Matador? Who cares, I'm not convinced! Rant over!

Actually, I was just thinking that the best scenario I can see is Federer winning the match and then announcing his retirement. What if? What if he did dope just to win one more and here he puts down the biggest suspected doper in the game and his biggest rival and wins his 18th (and final) grand slam? They can't suspend him for doping because he's retired and he's always been the poster child for tennis so they can't out him.. What if he just knows the only way he's going to win another slam is to join the others (whose names don't need repeating)? But then he would have to quit the game because he knows he can't continue without drugs and ethically he can't continue with them either. I think it would make for a good movie of the week anyway. :D

Nadal's post match interview was basically a carbon copy of federer's the day before, talking about Nadal's new academy and how they joked that from now on they'll only ever play in exhibitions, but hey look at us now! blah blah blah. That they wax each other's backs does seem really strange to me.

So now that Federer is a prime suspect for doping this place is conveniently shutting down? I guess all of the Fedtards that run this website are trying to preserve their delusion that Federer is the only "clean" player in all of professional tennis, and not just another doper like the rest of them. None of you cared about besmirching other player's reputations with doping allegations, but as soon as Federer starts being suspicious, you all want to bail. Can't say I'm surprised at all.

No, I'm not Boreman. I also don't see how I got my way about anything. I didn't force this place to shut down, you guys did it all on your own with your witch hunt on all players not named Federer. Maybe if this website wasn't crawling with rabid Fedtards ready to jump on any player that beats their favorite, you would have had more credibility.

@Humphrey, You are deluded if you think this place is being shut down because of some imagined witch hunt. It's being abandoned because SNR is fed up that no one in the press gives a crap that there's rampant doping going on in tennis. That the anti-doping authorities aren't doing their jobs. That tennis has become a farce. That's why SNR is done. If you followed him on Twitter you would know that. Stop thinking that you have some inside scoop because you don't.

Rabies as in the rabid Fedtard fans that run this website, along with the even more rabid Fedtards like Richard and Lopi who post in the comments? There certainly is no cure for you Federer ass lickers, no matter how shitty the taste

Honestly a more brutal match than this semi I have rarely seen. This physically worked out Nadal more than his 09 semi against verdasco. Credit to dimitrov, he played the match of his life. And still fell short against the raging bull.

Nadal's level is unbelievable. The one day less rest won't matter one bit, just like 09. He does not tire. Period. Get used to #15 people. No way will Federer beat Nadal. After two good semis the final will be a fizzer. Let's hope Djuicervic gets back on the juice or the French will be his also.

The ITF must be loving this upcoming 'showcase' of tennis. Showcase of insanity if you ask me. It's a shame as the younger guys are starting to come into their own in this tournament. But I fear they too will be drawn into the 'if you can't beat them, join them' philosophy.

Yea, i noticed aswell how from Nadal's camp one of the recurrent things you heard was that he is "pain free". He is training hard, running and able to do all the things he wasn't able before because of injuries.. He also looks a little bulkier in the arms too, he's definately put on some muscle than say this time last year. Of course thats not an indication of doping but he has definately changed by legal or illegal means. Federer does have a chance though.. i don't think it'll be as cut and dry as most people think.. Fed will be more prepared for this one than he has for alot of others. I also have money on Federer... lol

@ Lopi. I actually think we've seen this Grigor before. 2 years ago beating Andy in the quarter finals of Wimbledon. For me, Grigo aswell as a few others noticeably dropped off the minute the biological passport was introduced. (and by others i mean mostly the spanish players, especially ferrer) isnt he younger than Fed? thats a point worth noting..

Totally right, especially as uncle Tony has been going on and on about him finally being pain free... let's see if he manages some consistency and doesn;t have a "phatom injury" to allow him some time of to do what we all know he needs to do.. which is "prepare" for thr FO & Wimbledon.

Well, a bunch of 30 something years old in the Australian Open finals. The Williams sisters have been making slam finals for nearly 20 years (Venus made her first final in 1997, and Serena well…), I guess that’s just going to continue.

And Federer making the final whilst after 6 months off is questionable. Regardless of how quick he gets through his matches or how fast the court is reported to be playing.

Nadal as well had some few months off at the end of last year, yet he’s spent over 18 hours on court, Federer himself about 13 hours (whilst beating some difficult opponents).

In regards to Federer, fine he may have been recovering from surgery, but how is it that these players on tour always seem to recover so well?

I can somewhat understand why Federer fans will want to defend him. It’s the same as Nadal fans defending Nadal his entire career, Djokovic fans believing in the gluten free excuse and Murray fans believing he’s clean just because he’s been speaking out against doping in tennis since 2013 (not confronting the fact that he recorded the most hours spent on court last year by any player in the open era)

All these top players are suspect, I don’t see why Federer should be given the benefit of the doubt here by his fans. If this were Nadal, some Federer fans will be crying foul.

All i wan to see is clean sport where authorities clamped down on cheaters, however perhaps it’s time I accepted that it will never happen. The sport is dead. It has been for a while.Tennis will remain a happy family it seems

PS Sen/Thasp thanks for all you’ve done. It's a shame you've decided to close the blog. I hope you change your mind or at least put up posts every once in a while that we can comment under.

Seeing how the finalist are:- A player followed by suspicions of PEDs usage all his career, suffering all kinds of career-threatening injuries just before his best moments.- One of the oldest player in tour, beating younger top 10 athletes in five sets, just after a knee surgery, mimicking the behavior of the previous player.- Two female players that have been playing while ingesting PEDs approved with backdated TUEs. One of them hid in her house when a doping anti-agent visited her for a urine/blood sample.

And to finish this off, one of these athletes was the reason to believe some top athletes are clean and the fight was necessary.

I noticed that for the Dimitrov match the Distance covered per point and the Total distance covered were not available. One would think organisers were trying to deflect from what a brutal match it was. Nadal must have covered more than 4300 meters considering the match was 51 minutes longer than the Zverev match where he covered 4071.8 metres during that.

I might be wrong but I think this is the first time in his career that he’s defeated two top 5 opponents in 5 sets during the same tournament, and at age 35 no less.

The question is now, did or will any of the finalists both on the men and women’s side get tested before the final. Because they definitely should have been tested, especially after Nadal and Federer’s 5 set matches (regardless of how long or short it was compared to each other).

Fake news, fake sports. Alternative facts, and Russians are bad because they are dopers. I just realise that mens' tennis and ice hockey were the only pro sports I still had some interest in. Guess I'll stay with ice hockey only. I will miss this blog, it felt like a place where people using common sense could share their thought. Well, some trolls were also visiting disturbing grown-ups' conversations with their brabble. But this blog will surely be missed. Common sense is anything but common nowadays

Yes. Professional sports has become a really big joke. And this blog gave us a voice to express concern for tennis. There is unfortunately no hard public evidence against these players b/c it's all been/being covered up by everyone who financially gains from the deception & lot to lose from revelation. & the mass public is just content to live in a delusional world & keep watching/buying tickets. I'm a big Roger fan, but I can't even understand how to explain what I'm seeing from him @ the age of 35 after 6 mo. Off or from Venus or from Serena or from Nadal without considering doping at the forefront of my mind. People here have suggested that it's scripted & also that once Meldonium was banned last year, a lot of players started playing not up to par for them or leaving the sport for quite some time claiming injury, except for Sharapova of course. And her ban got reduced by playing victim! IMO, there's a lot of truth to this. The players with lots of money take some time off claiming injury & then have the ability to find docs that can come up with drugs that cannot be detected yet/new & improved doping. Also, scripted wise it seems like they test certain top players some of the time & not other top players during the same tournament just to keep the masses interested & make the sport seem epic. Murray & Kerber as #1 prob weren't selling as many tickets, so let's test them & Djoker but give our top 4 superstar sellers safe. This is never gonna end! Understand why Sen & THASP have thrown in the towel. What else can they do if there is no hard core evidence to back up what we've all been saying. But I still think we need a voice. And hope that there's a platform for our voice.

I didn't even bother to watch the women's final. Tell me, is there any other sport on this planet where one player is known to have ducked out of a doping test, is rumored to have done it on at least one other occasion, is known to have competed with a backdated TUI in at least 1 final (probably to get out of what would surely have been a positive doping test) and the entire sports world slobbers all over her like she's some remarkable athlete and role-model? I don't think so and I'm not even getting into all of her mysterious ailments and absences from the tour as well as her general on-court behaviour.

A statue that is due to be showcased at Wimbledon in 2011, is causing an uproar at its unveiling at the O2 in London this past week. The statue of Rafael Nadal, who defeated Roger Federer at SW19 once again this year, is a modern take of a 16th century work by Benvenuto Cellini depicting Perseus holding the head of Medusa. The statue is reportedly "a Monument and tribute to a clean player defeating a notorious doper in recent years after first dealing with adversity and close defeats during his first few years at Wimbledon", according to Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. The sculpture is sardonically entitled "Cheaters Never Prosper".

Federer needs to stop mentioning himself in the same sentence as Nadal, the most highly suspicious player ever. His recent praise of the Spaniard has made me question whether he is still clean or if in fact he has gone to the dark side. Maybe my scenario wasn't so far off base. I hope I'm wrong but maybe he did decide to dope just to win one more. If that's the case then I hope he immediately retires. Despite his beautiful tennis he can't continue if he's doping IMV.

@ Lopi. You're right about RF constantly mentioning himself in the same sentence as Nadal. Nadal is the most suspected player on tour and probably in tennis history. I'm a horrible tennis player but one of my best mates is a coach. I ask him all the time about players who he thinks are doping, doping rumours etc.. To be brutally honest he always refutes and sometimes refuses to even listen to me when I put forth a Roger Federer case, but when i mention Nadal.. he can't stop talking. The first thing he mentions is Operation Puerto in 2006 and ever since then Nadal has ben under suspicion. Coaches, fans and even amateur players all know it. Why do you think RF is so friendly and complimentary of him alkl of a sudden??? After all, this is a guy who has 'robbed' him of numerous GS titles.. It's not a coincidence and I for one am not that naive. It's almost as if an extremely high ranking ATP official (if not the President himself) has had a word in Roger's ear and said; "Hey Roger, Tennis is in a bit of a bad shape right now, Nadal is getting slaughtered on public forums and even getting publicly called out by highly respected French sports ministers who refuse to back down and are prepared to go to court over their claims that he's a cheat, Sharapova was busted earlier this year, Andy Murray the world number 2 (as he was at that time) is also publicly voicing his claims against doping, The Williams sisters are being singled out for their backdated TUE's, the younger generation aren't buying it, even they are starting to speak out (krygios about Novak)... the list is endless... err... umm... do you mind giving us a hand mate"... Fast forward 3 months and both Williams sisters make the final, Nadal and Federer also make the final in what clearly has been for the dumbwitted 'believe everything you see' tennis fan the most eagerly anticipated male AND female singles finals in at least 8 years...and alas! People are talking about something else now.. Am i missing something here?? Are people really this gullible? Bertrand Russell wrote in the Conquest of Happiness - "Life is not to be conceived on the analogy of a melodrama in which the hero and heroine go through incredible misfortunes for which they are compensated by a happy ending"... which is exactly what these moronic ATP, WTF, Australian open officials want for their "heroes". They want a happy ending. They want the rumours quashed and an end to these lingering doping suspicions that lead current Eurosport commentators to make tongue in cheek statements such as "they've returned fresher than ever from injury" and everything else that comes with an open mind to the BS... And Federer.. well he's just apawn.. he's the messneger.. the angel of light. The real criminals are the ones you dont see. Don't be surprised if Federer wins in 3 or 4 sets tomorrow.. It's 'written in the stars'..After all.. he was only on crutches a few months ago... yawn.

It was a brilliant fight...but when those who police the sport are as corrupt as the companies that endorse it - well. No amount of truth can triumph. I don't blame the populous for not believing it. Look at the choices we had for this past election. 24/7 propaganda works.

I wish you had won. Thank you for trying. Now live your life and try to be happy with friends and family. All we can do is pray for the world of sports and the world in general. There is nothing else to be done.

Thanks for the hyperbole, TUSB. I also enjoyed your image of a resurrected Vitas Gerulaitis taking the court without raising any concerns.Laughing makes a nice change from slamming my head against the wall.

I did say Fed would win... but I really would like to know if anyone has ever won more than 3x 5 set matches in one tournament. I'm gonna go look it up now focusing only on Andy Murray, Nadal, Fed, Djoker, Sampras and Agassi.

Celebrate or not celebrate? That is the question. As a Fed fan, I have mixed feelings. This is highly suspicious. But also nice to see that a probable doper Federer beats a probable doper Nadal. We are 2017, winners of AO are Serena Williams and Roger Federer. And a certain Donald is President of the USA. If reality was a reality TV show, I would say "don't be ridiculous, wtf", and switch to another channel

Ejoy it, did you not hear the code speak among the commentators afterwards, "he out raffa'ed raffa" was a tip of the hat to the fact that they all know roger is doping. Whether he was before or not, it would appear they are alluding to the fact that he's using something nadal was before and he was not.

What, in same way you refuse to accept any possible suspicion on Murray? Even when Murray is capable of going toe-to-toe with, in a your words, a 'jucied up to the gills' Djokovic? It's quite comical how you level suspicious activity on players when Murray exhibits much of what you find 'eyebrow raising'.

From what I've seen of Richard, he is an intelligent individual and I am sure he knows there is suspicion on all players. For wha it is worth, I was a big Federer fan but going back to 2013, I started asking serious questions. I could accept the 2012 Wimbledon because Murray went to pieces once the roof was closed. But the manner of his defeats before and after suggested a player on the decline in all aspects.

This blog would have benefitted greatly from ALL people accepting hard truths about their favourites, not just one or two contributors.

Eh... okay cheers TUSB. But not sure what Murray has to do with this match or any of my comments on the last few threads? Comment above is with reference to vigorous defence Richard has been putting up for Fed throughput this tournament. Think he is perfectly capable of responding on his own behalf. And sure it will be as incisive and most his posts are. But thanks for the critique anyway.

TUSB, you yourself said you were a fed fan. I am a Murray fan and, sorry, but I reserve the right to offer a counter argument in his defence and certainly don't get my knickers in a twist when anyone disagrees. I also don't see how being a fan of one player precludes me from commenting on suspicious performances from another player. Its called discourse and discourse requires opposing points of view. so don't give me your "pot calling kettle black" bullshit.

Because you have gone from voicing suspicions on Federer (perfectly legit), to criticising another poster for his views which are a pure projection of your own.

Yes, I was a Federer fan and I believe he is definitely on the juice.

Your opinions lose credibility because the very benchmarks you use to judge against other players as dopers magically aren't applicable to Murray. That's where things fall down and stop being 'discourse', and merely "everyone dopes but my favourite player" type arguments.

A misguided observation, however. First, I wasn't criticising Richard, merely interested in what he has to say in light of today's match - note the question mark at the end on my comment above. Secondly, I don't subscribe to the idea that "everyone dopes but my guy." In fact on a number of occasions I've cited on here David Walsh's tweet, "My guess is that it's more than we know about, less then we imagine" with respect to prevalence of doping in tennis as pretty much where I stand on the subject.

(https://twitter.com/davidwalshst/status/567767734252232704

Here's a thought, why don't you stick to the debate rather than passing judgement on other people's comments? Cheers.

The perfect tournament for those making money from tennis! All scripted? Could such a close match be scripted and agreed who wins beforehand? Is this kind of match fixing from the tennis mafia possible, and could players still provide such a spectacle if they have to ensure the right outcome?

Not the first and not the last time this has been discussed, as tin-foil hat tier as it sounds, I often find myself thinking the same.

Last year's heroes, Djuicer and Mugray, conveniently bowing out for the real conquistadors to have one last mano-a-mano, where Fed gets his long-awaited GS win over his tormentor and chasing GOAT contender?

It is akin to WWE in so many respects.

Watch as come Wimbledon, Murray return with Sampras' righ arm grafted onto his body, and has a post-victory caged table/chair dearhmatch with his own brother, refereed by his mum.

I don't buy these results being all fixed, personally. Rather I think Djokovic off the juice is what we've seen late last year and this AO, and Murray was so exhausted from his effort in the post-USO part of the season (when most top players tank and rest, but Murray wanted that #1 so went all out) that he bombed out. Suddenly the draw is more open and these two men in opposite halves make the final. Probably both juicing for all we know. Although Nadal doesn't have his running range that he used too.

I can't watch tennis anymore, it's just too ridiculous what's going on and nobody in the MSM wants to talk about it.

Putting aside Nadal's resurrection for a moment, let's look at Federer. Here's a guy who is 35 with a massive amount of tennis under his belt, and who has just returned to the tour after surgery to help ameliorate (not fix) a problem caused as a result of playing all that tennis. In this AO he played gruelling 5 set matches in the 4th round, semis and finals, moving around the court better than he as did a decade ago.

I think we've gone beyond conventional doping, the top players have the financial resources to have access to God only knows what designer PED's coming out of clandestine labs

The way he was hitting his backhand today. And the way Nadals level dipped at the end. Something was amiss. There's something seriously wrong with tennis. Its been going on for years but I thought with Novak losing motivation the worst was over. Its not. Its worse than ever.

Consider that what still appear advanced methods in the mainstream (EPO, blood doping/spinning) were commonplace in Road Cycling - a sport with far less money and public appeal than tennis - more than a decade ago; nearly two decades with regard EPO.

What methods could be being employed right now? Did genetic doping finally become rife?

Perhaps that is why ITF/WADA continually busts shitheel journeymen - the sort who can only afford ephedrine or classless steroids.

@ Shadow - I would say no, but we will be shouted down by the Fedtards. Federer is as pure as the driven snow. The response will be the clean Federer would have beaten him in straight sets if Nadal hadn't been doping.

Apologies - I should have said certain Fedtards. Either way I personally can't see how the heck somebody can come back after surgery and do what Federer has just done. Did he actually have surgery? Either way there is no way in hell this AO was clean. It defies any logic.

Accepted. This is not Richards blog, and many Federer fans visiting this blog are puzzled. After this weekend, I do not wonder if players are doping, but if the entire circus is completely scripted. What is the role of NIKE, sponsor of all AO 17 finalists?

Once Murray and Djokvic were knocked out, i kinda guessed it would be a Nadal/Federer final - this is the pecking order of public preference and key to keeping sales/promotion. At this point I'd go as far to say doping is redundant in Tennis but the authorities will look the other way if "stars" need the odd retroactive TUE to get them out on court and keep them there for the paying public.

It was really weird. Nadal stood there blank and about to cry, then he goes forth and gives us about a five minute runner-up speech. He tells Federer it's amazing how he has come back so well after six months off injured, and he and his team have prepared him so well. Now I don't go for this pre-ordained fixed results business, but rather Nadal seemed to be giving Federer a really backhanded compliment when he of all people was telling him how amazing it was to come back after this time off and win the AO including 3 x five set matches.

Then Federer gets up and basically makes love to Nadal before thanking everyone else.

It was more of the chumminess between the two players that I have never understood in the past. The only logical conclusion you can draw is that both have dabbled, or - too far-fateched - NEITHER have used chemical enhancement.

If one has taken drugs, the other could not possibly be blind to it in my opinion.

As I said earlier, with tennis we have found a sport simply too big to take down or even seriously shake when it comes to the issue of doping.

Sadly, no-one cares - at least, no-one who really matters. This blog also shows that much in the way of doping suspicion amongst the general public only manifests when their favourite players get beaten. A hollistic approach to weeding out doping malpractice in tennis is impossible. Only a death, a major criminal prosecution or concerted journalistic effort will ever uncover what goes on in surely the LEAST tested major sport on the planet.

One of the forums I am on is full of people eulogising about how wonderful Federer and Nadal are. Nobody is questioning it. Nobody is thinking just how did Federer, (and Nadal), do it?Nobody is seeing anything remotely suspicious in this final. Tennis truly is beyond hope.

I think people are so used to seeing athletes playing into their late 30's and early 40's in other sports, so this doesn't seem strange to them. Tom Brady is 39 and about to play in the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl right before his 40th birthday. MLB pitchers go into their 40's. It just took tennis years to catch up to these other sports.

Agree in part. I've never subscribed to seeing older age *solely* as a suspicious marker... comsider Noriake Kasai, ski jumping into his 40s in what conventionally is a young person's sport.

Where tennis is breaking new ground is that these aged competitors are champions, or even still dominating the opposition. This is a massive difference from someone like Ryan Giggs playing soccer when nearly 40, almost as a novelty act.

People are used to seeing older competitors and the rhetoric is always spun that 'conditioning is better' etc. It's comical though watching commentators try to explain Federer or Serena. It defies explanation - in fact this bizarre phenomenon could be the basis of a new verse for Gene Wilder's rendition of 'Pure Imagination'.

Snozzwangers and Vermicuous Knids are slightly more believable than this last week of the AO 2017.

Yeah, you have to ask yourself if nobody cares about the TUE'S, retroactive TUE's, panic rooms, meldonium, spanish doctors etc what will it take to make people wake up?Bread and Circuses, thats all sport is.

This time-warp of a championship (both the men's and women's finals) is every bit as surreal as Donald Trump being President. It seems that underlying issues have to get played out in more and more extreme forms before people wake up. As Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'til it's over", and hopefully that'll be sometime soon for corruption in tennis and in politics.

I appreciate all that SnR (and THASP) have done, but understand why s/he's stopping now. Hopefully someone else can keep the site alive, even if it's just by starting a new open thread every month or so. Thanks!

If a site was resurrected/imtroduced to follow in the footsteps of this, I would very much be happy to volunteer contributing to articles, writing etc. I regrettably however would not have the time/dedication to manage the blog or investigate the way SnR has.

I have always suspected Federer, right from 2004-05 to be precise. He was one of the guys till 2003, talented but pretty much at the same level as Roddick, Hewitt, Safin etc but come 2004 he suddenly exploded to this unbeatable monster. He started to serve bigger, hit his FH bigger and move as well as anyone ever has. The other tell tale sign was how he always peaked at majors. There was no let off. He was there in every slam final for years. I had never seen anything like that before. And then in 2013 when it seemed like his age was finally catching up to him, he again miraculously started appearing in slam finals in 2014 and 2015. But you couldn't say a word against him anywhere. You would be bombarded by his ardent fanatics. But now what we have seen in these two weeks has to be the biggest miracle ever in tennis. The guy is going to be 36 this year and he comes back after 6 months, plays 3 five setters against top 10 players and takes home the title. This is the mother of all miracles although Fedtards like richard, lopi etc would still tell you how this was not suspicious at all lol. BTW he also took 2 tactical MTOs both in the semi and final. So much for 10 consecutive sportsmanship awards!

It is a good time to close the blog, but I am glad that at least it is now proven beyond any reasonable doubt that Federer is as suspicious as anyone.

Richard, I told you I am 90 right (with humility included) and 95% right (without humility) an you thought I was joking. The logic and completeness of my analyses are of the kind. Behold Raja Federa!!!....!!!!

Well, all I can say is the more beautiful player (tennis-wise) won today and since I have always thought Nadal was suspect, I am happy with the result even if it means there is now suspicion cast on Federer. Someone had to win, so better Federer than Nadal. And I really think the draw opening up the way it did was what kept Federer hungry. Playing Berdych and Nishikori, two underachievers, is a far cry from playing Murray and Djokovic. If those two were still in it, playing their best we would be looking at a different result today.

But...I am not naive and I actually thought maybe Fed would retire after winning this match. Maybe that will come sooner than later. His tennis is still the most beautiful and if he beat Nadal at his own game then so be it. No one else in this tournament was going to do that.

Yup. It almost seems like just dessert for that guy. Like he finally got what was coming to him. And the look of resignment on his face when he finally walked to the net and greeted his vanquisher was worth the price of admission. sorry, but for me this isn't so much about Federer winning then Nadal losing.

Other Sites

From what I've seen of it, I actually think it gives a pretty decent articulation of the worst-case scenario. But it cherry-picks things to support its particular theory, and ignores things that don't fit.-ESPN sportswriter, Kamakshi Tandon, expressing her opinion of this blog

"She kind of has, like, almost the game of a man. That's what it feels like."-Jelena Jankovic describing Samantha Stosur's masculine approach to the game of tennis.

"Players can use short-acting steroids in combination with human growth hormone which will produce muscle mass and enormous power, and while they can stop just before a competition and test clean, they still get the performance benefit of the drugs" Former chief executive of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, John Mendoza, 2002, claiming that tennis was approaching a crisis.

"To say that tennis today is clean, you have to be living in a dream world."Nicolas Escude, French Davis Cup player, 2002

[Former number 1, Marcelo] Rios thinks that the ATP protects Agassi of doping "I know that if nandrolone were found on Agassi, they would not disclose it. He is a very prominent, very popular player and if he were to fall, the world of tennis would fall with him." The Chilean remembered a case in Australia 2002 "where there was a control and Agassi disappeared, saying that they were going to kidnap his son..."

Also,

"Suspicion among the other players had long been rife that he [Agassi] may have used some substances to help him become one of the fittest and strongest guys around, although there was never any proof. There were some dubious circumstances, none more than his early-morning withdrawal from the defence of his title at the 2002 Australian Open, citing a wrist injury."

-Former Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash

"The ATP also suffers from a dilemma. Imagine if Federer or Nadal were caught doping. I probably would not suspend them, because they are too important. But where is the line?"- Former Pro Andrei Medvedev

Pictures used on this noncommercial blog are for editorial purposes only, to allow for opinions regarding particular tennis players' use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. The photos are cropped and of lower resolution than the fine originals, but are never photoshopped or otherwise altered.

"A site created by Don Quixote followed by numerous Sancho Pansas fighting windmills...."-From a commenter

"...in this steroid era we have lived in for the last decade or so, it has become wise for us in the media, to at least be wary of a player such as Nadal, who is so cut, so ripped, so buff for a tennis player, because we’ve never seen a good tennis player with that kind of physique."

"I can definitely say the same thing [discussing Steffi Graf’s claim that she had played against at least one top player who used steroids]. Steroids can really make a difference, physically and mentally. I’d be really disappointed if I had been ranked No. 2 behind someone who took steroids."-Chris Evert 1992

"Someone tried to get in the development, doing a drug test," [Venus] Williams said. "If I wasn't tested in the next two hours, I wouldn't be playing on tour. You know, there's always someone at the gates, trying to get in. Normally, I tell the gate, 'Tell them Venus moved to Siberia some months ago.' "

... she had trouble with her password in the computerized system overseen by the World Anti-Doping Agency. She also said registered mail at her home could not be signed off on since she was traveling to WTA tournaments.- Yanina Wickmayer explains (in a dog ate my homework kind of way) why she was unavailable for mandatory drug testing.